


Gaps

by Rainy_Summer



Series: NCT SOULMATE AU [3]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Fluff, Insecurity, M/M, Misunderstandings, We miss LuWoo, Wong Yuk Hei | Lucas is Whipped, sm
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-13
Updated: 2020-02-13
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:34:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22674910
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rainy_Summer/pseuds/Rainy_Summer
Summary: "Baby! I think I already found my soulmate! "The said baby seemed torn between dragging Xuxi away or running away all by himself in embarrassment.Then it hit him.Baby.Xuxi called the other boybaby.Xuxi was dating someone else who wasn't him!
Relationships: Kim Jungwoo/Wong Yuk Hei | Lucas
Series: NCT SOULMATE AU [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1556095
Comments: 2
Kudos: 209





	Gaps

**Author's Note:**

> In celebration for Jungwoo's return, let's have this uwu fic, uwu because I missed him so much to give him angst. 
> 
> I know I should be working on my two on-going fics, but I couldn't get this out of my mind, so here it is. Enjoy! 😉

Jungwoo fastened the last button of his uniform, before making his way to the mirror to checked how he looked. 

The blue and yellow combination wasn't that appealing in his opinion, and maybe more than half of the employees would agree with him, although, of course, their opinion hardly even matter to the management. They didn't get to say anything with what they wanted to wear. Besides, they weren't employed to look good, anyway, or maybe they were, at least to some extent. 

Jungwoo patted his own shoulder for managing to look good despite the unflattering garment he was wearing. Pleasing personality — that had been one of the requirements when he applied in the department store. Jungwoo hardly even paid attention to his looks before because frankly, it didn't seem to matter to him, not even during high school when everybody was so busy trying to look perfect for their crushes. 

Physical appearance wasn't something he considered to be important, and it wasn't because he thought personality matters more, which was true, but that hadn't been his reason at all. He just... didn't care. 

Well, at least, until he entered the University. It was as if he had entered a new world, and from being judged based on how well he did in his classes (he always did well), have experienced being judged bases on how he looked. He had mostly gotten compliments, because of his height, his wide shoulders, and because of his face. He had of course, heard them before, but before, they didn't really seem important, at least, that's what he thought. 

Uni taught him how important appearance was, and how the way you look could determine your success in your chosen path. Of course, at first, he thought it was stupid, because if it's all about how you look, then what's the use of being in the University. 

The last year, however, taught him how impactful one's appearance could be. He had personally witnessed how some sleazy old professors seemed to favor those beautiful girls wearing body hugging clothes more than those who, (not in Jungwoo's opinion but stereotypically) fall into the nerdy category. It was unfair, but maybe that's really part of the hardship of the adult world? The gorgeous would get the internship, the gorgeous would get the job, and if you weren't one, you needed to be a real genius in your field or else you wouldn't stand a chance. 

Jungwoo wasn't a genius, but at least he didn't look bad, he thought to himself as he smiled at his reflection. 

Or maybe not. 

The confident smile on his face became strained, and the corners of his lips began to shake. He always looked good until he opened his mouth. 

Diastema — that had been the term google used to describe the visible gap between his two front teeth. For as long as he could remember, his front teeth had been like this since he was a child, like him and that kid who's mom was his own mother's friend, forced to sit together but had never gotten along to be close. His mother had once told him that they would be close soon (she had been referring to the teeth of course), when his other permanent teeth began to grow. They didn't, because his other teeth, especially the two beside his front teeth, were crooked, thus the front teeth retained their space. 

Again, they didn't matter to him before, and clearly to the people around him as well. They didn't care if Jungwoo's teeth weren't perfectly aligned. What they cared about was the amount of Math competition he was able to win, and the academic awards he was able to achieve. 

_You're so smart, you would be successful, one day._

He had believed them. Such belief however was short lived as it had been replaced by different voices that never ceased to echo in his head whenever he looked in the mirror. 

_What a pity._

_He would have been handsome if not for those teeth._

_What a waste._

Braces had been an option at first, until he realized how expensive it was to have one. University n't cheap, and both him and his parents were already struggling to make both ends meet, he didn't have a single cent to spare for cosmetic dentistry. 

Braces had to wait, at least until he graduated and have a stable career and thus more money to spare. Which was highly unlikely to happen right after his graduation, since companies would prioritize those who were already pretty more than those who were still on the process of being pretty. 

So maybe, braces could wait until he was like thirty or something (by then, he would be worried by signs of aging as well), and thus, meeting his soulmate could wait even longer. 

There was no way he was going to meet his soulmate looking like this. Appearance didn't only matter in one's career but in one's relationship as well. Who in the world would be willing to date him with teeth like his, much less would want to kiss him? He couldn't risk meeting his soulmate looking like this, unappealing and not very likeable. 

It wasn't like he was going to meet him anytime soon, anyway. If he couldn't even afford to get his teeth fixed, all the more he couldn't afford to travel to China to look for him. 

Huang Xuxi — that was the name written on his wrist. He had no idea how he looked like or how old he was, yet he couldn't help but feel compelled to please him. After all, to be rejected by your soulmate would be embarrassing, and not to mention heartbreaking. Maybe it was a blessing that the probability of having a certain Huang Xuxi pop up in front of him here in Seoul, so that he wouldn't have to panic over not looking his best in front of him. 

He smiled again in front of the mirror, a tight-lipped one similar to what he had in his profile picture. He was handsome like this, and as long as the people wouldn't know how the insides of his mouth looked like, he would be fine. 

"You'll do good, Jungwoo! " he cheered himself before leaving. 

●●●

When Jungwoo applied for the job, he had a couple of intentions in mind. One was of course to have an income (a below minimum one but still an income) to support his needs and wants, and to gain leverage against the future applicants for management position. He wasn't the epitome of beautiful nor was he a genius (he was a little bit smart but definitely not a genius), hence, he needed to try other means to (hopefully) secure his spot in his desired position. 

He was hoping that by being employed in a much lower position, he could familiarize himself in the processes and the people as well, thus, giving him an edge against the other fresh grads in the future like himself. Hopefully, his experience working under them would make them consider him as the better option in the future. 

When he had been hired, he had expected to be assigned in the stock room along with those who didn't comply with the appearance standard. He hadn't expected to be assigned in the customer service counter, for the customers to see. Maybe the interviewer hadn't seen beyond his lips and thus deemed him handsome enough to be given a task which involved interacting with customers, or maybe because hardly anyone went to the customer service counter, saved for those people who feel the need to complain with everything. Normally, they were too preoccupied with their issues to pay attention to the alignment of his teeth. 

This day wasn't much different. Jungwoo hadn't have much to do except to paige the parents of a lost child who happened to lose her while shopping. The said child also stared at him for uncomfortably long before calling him bunny. He knew it was the teeth again, and while bunnies are definitely cute, Jungwoo didn't think that the child found him cute, rather he found him... Unusual perhaps? Thankfully, the parents soon fetched their lost child, hence, saving Jungwoo from the embarrassment of being a stared at by a child. Seriously, kids could be scary at times. 

There hadn't been much to do, and Jungwoo realized that he had been failing with his attempt of making a good impression to the management. Good thing he had more time to try, well, that is if he wouldn't get fired. Hopefully not, because he really needed the extra cash and of course, the leverage as well. 

He spotted a tall figure walking towards the direction of the counter. Based on how he walked, Jungwoo could guess that he was hesitant about whatever it was that he intended to do. To return an item, perhaps? 

Jungwoo racked his mind about the possible reasons to use in order to convince the customer to not return which ever item it was. 

_Oh, it's the latest trend! Are you sure you want to return it?_

_Oh, you bought it on sale! It's going to take long before the price of this item goes down again._

_Oh, it's limited edition! We already have a waitlist for it's availability. Are you sure you want to return it? You might not get your hands on the same item again!_

It wasn't really morally correct to do so but businesses were profit oriented. If Jungwoo could convince more customers about how valuable their purchases were and thus refrain them from taking refunds, then the management might notice him despite his mediocre looks. 

He plastered his customer service smile, although his was a bit different because he couldn't show his teeth. 

The customer stood in front of the counter while awkwardly rubbing his neck as he returned Jungwoo's smile. Jungwoo noticed the absence of a paper bag or anything that seemed like something he wanted to return or replace. Maybe that wasn't really his intention at all. 

Another thing that Jungwoo noticed was how handsome the said customer looked. He was tall, taller than Jungwoo perceived him to be, taller than Jungwoo himself. He had a nice pair of lips which were thick, but not in a bad way. They seemed as soft as pillows, and Jungwoo briefly wondered what it would feel like to press his own against them. His eyes were really pretty as well, big, like those in the anime his cousin Taeil forced him to watch. His skin might be darker than what the standards preferred but they didn't really affect his overall look. 

Jungwoo mentally slapped himself as he noticed the awkward look the handsome customer was giving him. He wasn't quite sure for how long he had ogle the person in front of him, but he was sure that he did so long enough to embarrass himself in front of the stranger. 

_Bad, Jungwoo, bad!_ He berated himself. _You have a Huang Xuxi to wait for. You shouldn't be crushing on a random stranger._

Besides, it wasn't as if handsome stranger would be interested in someone like him who didn't have a good set of teeth. 

"How may I help you, Sir? " he asked, trying not to blush in front of him. 

"Ah... " The customer seemed hesitant and embarrassed himself as he leaned closer to Jungwoo as he spoke to him in whisper that was barely audible. "I want to have the customer reward card, please. "

Jungwoo himself had to move away slightly, afraid of how such close proximity would make him react. 

"Pardon, Sir? "

"Customer reward card, " the customer repeated in broken Korean. "I want one, please. "

"Actually, I don't! " The customer said again as Jungwoo was about to retrieve the form that the customer needed to fill up, which made him quirked an eyebrow in response. 

"I mean, I will still get one, but not because I want to. You see, my baby there —" he pointed at the person standing on the line towards the cashier, "— He wanted me to get one because he thought it's practical to have one. So, I know it's something mostly moms asked for, and I know that I am a man, but if my baby wanted me to get one, I should get one. "

The first thing that Jungwoo noticed was the slight pang of jealousy in his heart upon knowing that handsome stranger was already taken. It was weird, because well, they just met, so he didn't have such entitlement to be jealous. 

The second thing that he noticed was how lucky the said baby was to have the said stranger as his boyfriend. He was even willing to shove toxic masculinity just for him. He wondered if his own Huang Xuxi would be this perfect as well. But then again, who was he to ask for someone perfect when he didn't have a perfect set of teeth. 

He handed out the form to the handsome customer before speaking, "Don't worry, Sir! Our reward card was for anyone regardless of the demographic group they belong to. "

"Yeah, " the customer answered shyly. "Glad to know that. "

Silence followed as he allowed the customer to fill up the form, all while admiring the thick and long lashes on his eyes. Gosh, how could some people be this perfect? Jungwoo wished he was as well. 

The customer handed him back the form while looking left and right to check if someone was judging him. Jungwoo had a feeling that this person would be too embarrassed to use the card anyway but well, it's not like he would sway him against it anyway. 

"This might take a while, Sir... " he glanced down at the paper to read the name. "Mr. Huang Xuxi. "

It took Jungwoo five seconds to realized that the customer shared the same name as him soulmate, and it took him another five seconds to think that this specific Xuxi might actually be his Xuxi! 

Before he could even ask however, Xuxi replied to him, "Don't worry, I can wait. Thank you, Mr... " he read the name on his ID. "Kim Jungwoo. "

It took another five seconds before Xuxi's eyes went impossibly wider that it already was and it took a few seconds before he began screaming scandalously in the middle of the department store. 

"Baby! I think I already found my soulmate! "

The said baby seemed torn between dragging Xuxi away or running away all by himself in embarrassment. 

Then it hit him. 

_Baby._

Xuxi called the other boy _baby._

Xuxi was dating someone else who wasn't him! 

●●●

Jungwoo didn't remember how many times his phone had rung and vibrated. The rational part of him kept telling him to check his phone, but the bigger part of him wanted to remain ignoring it for as long as he could. 

Maybe running off the store during his shift wasn't the brightest thing to do as an employee, yet it seemed to be an acceptable action for someone who had just met his soulmate and realized that they were dating another. 

Jungwoo blew his nose on his last piece of tissue, and the said piece joined the rest on the floor. He wasn't a messy person normally, but based on movies, being broken-hearted warranted the right to be messy. 

He had imagined it before, Jungwoo meeting his soulmate and the latter rejecting him for someone better looking. He hadn't imagine being rejected even before they met. It was as if he had been robbed of the chance to fight for his soulmate. 

Though, really, would he even have a chance? 

He can vaguely recollect what his soulmate's baby looked like. He's quite cute, cuter than Jungwoo, quite on the smaller side, but maybe that's what Xuxi liked. Maybe Jungwoo must be too tall for his liking, and maybe the said baby must have better sets of teeth. 

He sniffed loudly. Maybe his soulmate and him, and his two front teeth had the same fate, they were destined to be distant. 

He couldn't help but wail against the blanket on his bed to muffle his voice, which didn't seem effective at all. 

"Woo-woo, if you can't stop crying can you at least tell me what's wrong? " Taeil asked he as he entered the door to his room, not even bothering to knock. 

Maybe crying his heart out next to the room of his cousin who's reviewing for his licensure exam wasn't really the most considerate thing, and Jungwoo doubted if being broken hearted warranted being inconsiderate to your cousin who pretty much babied you and was still babying you. 

"ImetmysoulmateandhebrokemyheartandImetmysoulmateandhebrokemyheartandnowIthinkimfired!"

"Sorry? " Taeil asked him, looking more confused than when he was reading his thick books. 

He blew his nose on the blanket, ignoring the grimace on Taeil's face. 

"I met my soulmate and he broke my heart and now I think I'm fired. "

If Taeil had been confused before, he was even more confused now. He dizzily sat at the end of Jungwoo's bed, wary of the blanket that Jungwoo had just blew his nose on. 

"I don't see the connection? "

So he told him, about how he met Huang Xuxi and how the said Xuxi was dating another person, and how he ran away because he had been so hurt, which might have cost him his job. 

"That's... Sad, " Taeil commented, after processing his ramble. "Didn't you at least try to talk to him? "

"I panicked! "

"Well, that's understandable, " Taeil replied, "But then you probably already lost your chance to ask him why. "

Which was true, Jungwoo belatedly realized. He had been too focused on leaving the scene and preserving himself that talking and asking questions had been the last thing on his mind. 

"Is there even an acceptable reason why someone would date a person who is obviously not their soulmate? "

"Uh, " the level of difficulty of his question might have been on par with the questionaire on Taeil's reviewer. He was tempted to take back his question because Taeil seemed to be on the verge of popping a nerve, which would be sad because Jungwoo would miss him. "I don't know. Maybe he does have an explanation or anything? The world is a complicated place and there are things that sometimes we thought wouldn't make sense but it actually does. "

Okay, so maybe Xuxi had an acceptable reason, but having one might never lessen the amount of pain that he would feel. 

"At least you would have a closure if you talk to him."

So, maybe Taeil was right, after all, Taeil was the smartest person in Jungwoo's circle which was like composed of five person. But there was another problem. 

"I don't know where to find him. "

Because again, he panicked, and he couldn't possibly say, _hey Xuxi, so yeah, I'm panicking right now, give me your number, I'll talk to you later._

"What do I do? " he asked, again troubling his already troubled cousin with his own problem. 

"Uh... " Taeil massage his forehead with his finger. Maybe he should treat Taeil to a massage once he get his first paycheck. That's if he wasn't fired yet. Speaking of fired, his phone vibrated again. 

"Maybe you should start by checking your phone first? You might come up with a solution after? "

Jungwoo contemplated his choices, but he realized he actually didn't have any. Maybe checking his messages would help? Who knew if someone had been kind enough to send him a step by step guide to get over with his soulmate whom he never dated. 

"So, uh, yeah, " Taeil stood up, looking more stressed than when he has just entered. "I'll go back to my room? Please stop crying, okay? "

Maybe he should at least for Taeil's nerves. 

He began checking his messages once Taeil closed the door behind him. There had been about fifty messages from different numbers. He opened the first one and read. 

_Kim Jungwoo, this is Ms. Lee from the HR Department. Please report to our office tomorrow morning at 9 am for an urgent matter. Thank you._

Yikes. It sounded as if he was fired. Goodbye dreams of being promoted to a management position. 

The other messages were from his co-workers whom he had just met and would probably part ways with them soon. 

So far, there hadn't been a step by step guide as he went through every messages. Not once did he even bother to send a reply, at least until he read this specific one. 

_Hi, Jungwoo! It's me Xuxi, the person you meet at the customer service counter today. I'm sorry!!!! (╥_╥)_

_I didn't mean to frighten you earlier!!! I was just excited to meet my soulmate whom I initially assumed to be you, though I am not sure yet. But if ever your soulmate happens to be Huang Xuxi, then you're exactly the person I'm looking for._

_If so, please text me! I really want to get to know you better!!!_

_(T⌓T)_

_Also, I swear, I'm usually normal most of the time. I swear I'm not hyper all the time! Hope I didn't turn you off!!! (ಥ_ಥ)_

Jungwoo read the message again until he became sure that he was not only imagining things. 

Yep. He wasn't. Xuxi really messaged him. He wondered how he was able to obtain his number, but maybe he asked around. It didn't really matter. What mattered was that he could finally send him a message. At least he finally found a way to find out what was going on, and find the closure that he needed. 

He quickly typed out his own message. 

_Hi_

_Would you like to meet up?_

●●●

He wasn't fired, that he was told when he reported to the HR Department the following day. He was both surprised and relieved and of course, a little bit confused. Ms. Kim from HR told him that Xuxi had explained what happened, and although how he had reacted was absolutely not commendable, he was mainly reprimanded for his actions. After that he had been told to report on his next shift. Easy as that. 

So one of his problems was already solved, which left him with one which Jungwoo might have been tempted to leave unsolved. 

_Closure, Jungwoo, closure. You need a closure._ He reminded himself as he walked towards the cafe where he was supposed meet his soulmate and maybe bid him goodbye one final time…which would be kind of sad, but there wasn't anything left to do anyway. 

Inside his head, a scenario was playing where a version of himself was pouring ice cold water on Xuxi like those break up scenes in the drama. Afterwards, the said version would walk out of the cafe with his head held high, marching to the tune of the claps of by standers. 

Sadly, the said version was very far from the real version of him, because the real version of him would like to spare himself from such showy presentation. He didn't really appreciate too much attention. 

Maybe a simple question would suffice. _Hi, so you're dating someone else? May I know why? Oh, is that so? Great, bye!_

There. Short and simple. And then maybe he'll return home to bawl his eyes one last time. 

Right. That seemed to be a good idea. 

So, right, in the cafe. Xuxi didn't told him that 'Baby' was going to accompany him. He was kind of taken aback and maybe a little bit hurt again, but then, he realized that, well, 'Baby' is going to be their topic anyway, so it would have been rude not to have him there. 

Jungwoo forced himself to smile as he walk towards the table, with Xuxi enthusiastically waving his hand at him, and 'Baby' smiling at him, with his perfectly aligned teeth, Jungwoo couldn't compare. 

"Oh my god! Are you really my soulmate? " Xuxi asked as Jungwoo sat opposite him, his eyes impossibly wide again, and his voice way to loud for the other patrons liking. He was the exact opposite of Jungwoo who's mostly quiet, which was probably the reason why he was so attracted to him. 

"Uh, yes, " he replied, showing the name written on his wrist which Xuxi grabbed to examine. He had really big hands, and Jungwoo knew what people said about big hands. Sadly, Xuxi would not stick around long enough to allow Jungwoo to verify. 

"Oh my god! " Xuxi exclaimed again, that Jungwoo thought it was his favorite expression. "I'm so happy when I met you yesterday! But then you left and I'm lonely again. "

Xuxi looked cute as he spoke and for a while, Jungwoo had forgotten that it was actually Xuxi's fault why he had left (run off). 

"Why did you left? "

_Uh, because you have a boyfriend and I was kind of hurt?_

"Honestly, I would to, " 'Baby' chimed in. "If I found out that my soulmate was a crazy person who forget's proper public etiquette, I would be embarrassed to. " Then he smiled sympathetically at Jungwoo. 

For someone who was faced with the soulmate of the person he was dating, 'Baby' was very chill. Maybe it was his patience and endurance that Xuxi liked about him? He seemed to be an overall very kind person. Again, Jungwoo couldn't compare. 

"You're supposed to give me moral support, baby! " Jungwoo winced at the endearment. Maybe they should hurry everything so that Jungwoo could proceed with moving on step one a.k.a. moping. 

'Baby' looked at Xuxi as if judging him and finally, he sighed before turning his attention to Jungwoo. 

Jungwoo gulped. _This is it._

"I understand if his actions might have turned you off the first time, but I swear. Xuxi might be loud and annoying at times, but I swear my brother is really a good person. Maybe too much to handle, but he's actually a good person. "

Suddenly, Jungwoo's world stopped turning. Everything that 'Baby' had said immediately evaporated with Seoul's dust filled air — except for one word. 

"B-brother? "

Suddenly, the gears on Baby's head began turning, as if Jungwoo's single word question instantly made everything clear. 

"Oh, " he exclaimed upon realizing. 

"What, baby? " Xuxi asked, still confused about the situation. 

"Stupid! " 'Baby, lightly, smacked Xuxi's head. Xuxi was obviously the older of the two, and by Korean standard, such action would be considered rude. They're both foreigners anyway, so maybe they're excused. Besides that wasn't really the main issue. 

"You confused him by calling me baby. "

It took almost an entire minute before Xuxi finally understood, and it took almost five minutes before both him and Baby was able to convinced him to calm down as he frantically explained everything. 

About how Baby — or rather Renjun, was his younger brother, about how he would never date anyone who wasn't his soulmate, about how he had waited for the day to finally meet him, and about how happy he was to finally meet him. 

So, yes, that was the chaotic beginning of their relationship.

●●●

Jungwoo was dating Xuxi, Xuxi was dating Jungwoo. 

It was hardly believable, especially for Jungwoo, because wow, he was dating a guy extracted from a beautifully drawn manga, how real could that be? 

As real as Santa Claus perhaps. 

He was able to learn more about Xuxi, the more they spend time together. He was originally born in Hongkong but raised in China and He had two other names — Yukhei and Lucas. He actually preferred the last one but his family insisted on calling him Xuxi. He had another younger brother named Guanheng, a fraternal twin born three minutes after him, and although he loved his twin dearly, he insisted that he was the more handsome one. Jungwoo was forced to agree, because well, they're soulmates. Besides, if there were people more handsome than Xuxi, or rather Lucas as he preferred to be called, then the world was really unfair to mediocre looking people like Jungwoo. 

He was also younger than Jungwoo by a year, and incoming freshman in So-Shi-U, majoring in Dance, and the main reason why he decided to move to Seoul was to meet Jungwoo. 

Awww. 

Sweet. 

Jungwoo would sometimes wonder if by any chance, Lucas felt disappointed that he was his soulmate, for obvious reasons like he was so inadequate compared to him. 

On the contrary, Lucas himself had never shown him any sign of disappointment. In fact, he was making Jungwoo feel the opposite. 

_You're a business major? Wow, you must be smart!_

_Wow, I'm so lucky to have a smart soulmate!_

_Why are you so beautiful like an angel?_

_Jungwoo-hyung, why are you so perfect?_

Why would Jungwoo need water when he was being showered with compliments? 

He said all of that with heart eyes that all doubts that Lucas might have been lying was instantly crushed. He, however was still curious as to why. 

"I have diastema, " he said out of the blue, both of them watching a random movie on Lucas' laptop as they sat on Jungwoo's bed with their back against the head board. 

The popcorn remained unchewed inside Lucas' mouth as he turned to Jungwoo in panic. "...What's that? "

"Like, the gap between my front teeth? "

"Oh, " Lucas commented before giving a sigh in relief. "For a moment, I thought that's some kind of a terminal disease. "

"Actually, I noticed it long ago, " Lucas said after he had recovered from his mini heart attack, but after his reply, it was Jungwoo's turn to have a mini heart attack. 

"Not in a bad way! " Lucas loudly exclaimed, too loud that Taeil who was studying in the next room knocked at the common wall to silence them. "I mean, it wasn't the first thing that I noticed from you, because well, you have really pretty eyes, and pretty lips and pretty skin and you have a really soft and angelic voice, and I'm rambling again, aren't I? "

Jungwoo nodded, a blush blooming against his cheeks. There was another knock on the wall. 

"I mean, I noticed it, and I thought it was actually cute on you. "

_Cute? Well that's new._

"You don't think it's ugly? " he asked, genuinely confused. 

"No! " Lucas exclaimed again. There was another knock on the wall. 

"You don't think I'm... not kissable because of my teeth? "

"Who said that? Let me fight them! " There was another knock. 

"Like everybody? " Or maybe not. Just some people who felt the need to have an opinion about everyone and everything. 

"Want to prove them wrong? "

Jungwoo licked his lips in anticipation, before he nodded and waited until Lucas leaned closer. 

Remember when Jungwoo thought that Lucas's lips were like pillows? Ha! They were softer, and a little bit moist but not in a bad way. 

Maybe they got a little bit to excited that Jungwoo couldn't remember how they ended up tumbling on the floor. 

"Woo-woo! " Came Taeil's frustrated scream. 

So, that was how their first kiss turned first make out session ended. What a short lived experience but hey, at least Jungwoo proved himself to be kissable. 

●●●

"I want to get my teeth fixed, " he told Lucas one day, as he sat on top of the counter. They were already a year in their relationship. Jungwoo moved in to his place because Renjun already moved out to live with his friend. Maybe it was the fact that they were already living together that Jungwoo felt no inhibition to speak his mind. Or maybe it was because Lucas always made him feel reassured to ever second guess what he wanted to say.

"Why? " Lucas asked, wiping the bubbles of toothpaste on the corner of his mouth with the back of his mouth. "Are there people bothering you about it again? "

Jungwoo shook his head, but welcomed Lucas as he come near him to cuddle him if he ever feel bad. Which he didn't, but hey, why would he turn down free cuddles? 

"It isn't because of what other people say, " he explained while resting his chin on top of Lucas's head as the latter nuzzle his neck. 

Jungwoo had already abandoned his habit of letting those kinds of opinions long ago, of course with Lucas's help. Like, he didn't believe anymore that he wouldn't be successful because he wasn't perfect looking, because the management had already offered him a chance to train under the and work with them in the future. He also didn't anymore think he was unlovable and not kissable because well, he had the best boyfriend in the world who loved him and loved to kiss him and if that wasn't enough to push away the negative thoughts he had about himself, then Jungwoo wasn't sure what would. 

"It's more about what I wanted to do for myself. "

He wanted to improve himself, and he didn't see the reason why he shouldn't improve in physical aspect. 

"Oh, " Lucas hummed in agreement. "Then do it. "

"You wouldn't think, it's shallow or anything, right? "

It wasn't like he was actually thinking that Lucas would think that way, but maybe he needed a little push, a little encouragement which Lucas happened to be good at. 

"No, " Lucas answered like Jungwoo expected. "I mean, baby had one when he was younger and of course, I love him to much to judge him, and I also love you too much to judge you. As long as you're doing it for yourself and not only because you felt pressured to get them fixed, then you have my support. "

Jungwoo smiled as they continued to cuddle. He still couldn't believe how lucky he was to have a soulmate and boyfriend who was as good looking and as kind-natured as Lucas. He was perfect! 

Or maybe not. 

There were times when Lucas would leave the bathroom faucet open and left the floor flooded. 

There were times when Lucas would toss and turn in his sleep, hog the blanket, and leave Jungwoo freezing. 

There were A LOT of times when Lucas would make the rice half cook or burnt. 

He was far from perfect, but Jungwoo didn't really need him to be one. Besides, Jungwoo wasn't perfect as well. They loved each other despite the obvious imperfection, which in turn made them perfect for each other. 

Jungwoo was able to close the gap between him and his soulmate, and soon he would also be able to close the gap between his teeth. More importantly, he was able to close his ears off of the shallow opinions directed at him with the intention of making him feel down. 

In the end, he was loveable, and he was destined to succeed, with perfectly aligned teeth or not. 

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments are very much appreciated. Thank you 💚  
> [Curious Cat](https://curiouscat.me/Rainy_Summer)


End file.
